Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) represent the largest subspecies of elk in North America, with mature males, known as bulls, weighing between 700 and 1,200 pounds. These majestic animals are a significant part of the Pacific Northwest’s natural heritage.
Their Present-Day Range
Roosevelt elk are primarily found in the temperate rainforests and mountainous regions of the Pacific Northwest. Their distribution stretches along the coast from northern California, through Oregon and Washington, and into southern British Columbia, Canada, with some introduced populations in coastal Alaska. This range is largely west of the Cascade Mountain chain, which historically isolated them reproductively from Rocky Mountain elk to the east.
A significant population of Roosevelt elk inhabits the Olympic Peninsula, including the largest unmanaged herd within Olympic National Park. Smaller herds also exist in other areas of western Washington, often separated by Interstate 5 from Rocky Mountain elk populations to the east. Oregon hosts an estimated 59,000 Roosevelt elk, concentrated in the Coast and Cascade ranges, with their presence extending across most of western Oregon.
Northern California’s Roosevelt elk populations are primarily restricted to Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, and western Siskiyou County, notably within Redwood National and State Parks. Historically, their range extended south to Sonoma County. In Canada, Roosevelt elk are mainly found on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where a substantial portion of the Canadian population resides. Additionally, some smaller, isolated pockets exist on the southwestern mainland of British Columbia, including the Sunshine Coast, partly due to reintroduction efforts.
Ideal Habitat Conditions
Roosevelt elk prefer environments that offer a mosaic of dense cover and open foraging areas. They thrive in temperate rainforests, old-growth forests, and coastal regions, which provide both shelter and abundant food sources. Optimal habitat includes a mix of old-growth stands with breaks in the canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor and promoting understory vegetation growth, while also offering security and thermal cover from weather and predators.
Their diet consists of a variety of plant materials. During spring and summer, they primarily graze on herbaceous plants like grasses and sedges, as well as flowers, ferns, and shrubs. In the colder months, their diet shifts to woody plants such as highbush cranberry, elderberry, devil’s club, and the seedlings of trees like Douglas fir and western redcedar. Roosevelt elk are also known to consume lichens, blueberries, and salmonberries.
Population Health and Management
Conservation efforts have played a significant role in the recovery of Roosevelt elk populations, which were once severely reduced due to overhunting and habitat loss in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The establishment of protected areas, such as Olympic National Park, was instrumental in safeguarding some of the last wild herds and their habitats. Today, these parks continue to provide sanctuary for the largest unmanaged herds.
Management strategies focus on maintaining self-sustaining populations and, where suitable, re-establishing elk in historic ranges. This includes ongoing population monitoring through methods like aerial surveys and radio-tracking, as well as habitat management to ensure adequate forage and cover. While logging and road construction can impact their habitat, creative forest management practices aim to balance timber production with elk needs, sometimes by creating openings that increase forage availability. These efforts contribute to the continued presence of Roosevelt elk across their Pacific Northwest range.